Badger Deer Camp - Badger Sportsman Magazine

WINTER SPORTS
Making Winter Memories
Close to Home
The Big Snow Country Experience
by Rick Schmitz
What are the ingredients of a great ski weekend?
Immediately images of mountains, luxurious
condos, tons of snow, hot chocolate, and après
ski nightlife come to mind. As airline prices continue to
increase and lift ticket prices approach $100 per day at
many western resorts, the great ski vacation may not seem
economically attainable for many Midwesterners. But
there is hope. There are great resorts in the Midwest that
can offer all these key ingredients and more - at a fraction
of the cost.
Located in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan,
Blackjack Resort features nearly 500 feet of vertical drop,
trailside lodging, 200 inches of average annual snowfall,
great night life, and tons of skiing and snowboarding
fun. Just a short drive from anywhere in the Midwest,
Blackjack offers the perfect setting for classic ski vacations
for about the quarter of the price of heading out west.
But if you really take a closer look at your favorite
winter memories, you quickly begin to realize that while
the setting is important, the trips you remember the
best will always be those great experiences with friends
and family. Blackjack offers some of the best skiing and
boarding in the Midwest, but there’s more to it than that.
Blackjack offers an experience. It offers a getaway for less
than a tank of gas.
When you get about 20 miles from Blackjack you
enter a different world—they call it Big Snow Country.
No matter how much snow is on the ground in the rest
of the Midwest, you quickly find yourself in a winter
wonderland with snow banks taller than your car. You
find small towns with cozy houses and see smoke gently
rising from snow covered roofs. If you come at the right
time of year, there’s so much snow, you may not be able
to see in many first floor windows.
40 ❘ Badger Sportsman ❘ badgersportsman.com ❘ NOVEMBER 2011